Fuji X100S "easily done" firmware wish list

F

Frenchman

Regular
I am sure we all have a list of things that could be improved in the firmware. Here is mine... I only list things that I (as a software engineer, albeit in a different field) think can be pretty easily done in firmware. The "importance" categories are for me, of course.

What is yours? Here's mine, and hopefully someone from Fuji ends up seeing those lists...

Most Important:
  • Have an option to show clipped shadows and highlights in live view (viewfinder and LCD) and not just after the shot has been taken.
  • Make the OVF's framing border closer to what is really being framed.
  • Replace the horizon line with a pitch/roll display (the hardware is there as evidenced by the fact the horizon disappears if the camera is pitched far enough from vertical). See the GX1 display for inspiration, or your favorite plane simulator.
  • Allow use of the exposure dial in manual mode as a way to change the ISO for the shot (at least in Auto ISO but ideally also with set ISO).
  • In manual mode with Auto ISO allow AE-L to influence the chosen ISO.

Less Important:
  • Use a less conservative circle of confusion for the distance scale (e.g the 0.01 mm one used for the engravings on the XF14mmF2.8 R lens).
  • Find a way to be able to have one-touch access to both the ND filter and DOF preview (yes, I want two Fn buttons basically but using the existing layout).
  • Generate neutral color RAW previews regardless of the film simulation. (Unlikely if it increases time before the next exposure can be made.)
  • Increase the usability of focus peaking by using a color such as yellow (since red will be used for blown highlights :p) and making the outlines bolder.
  • Edit: Add an intervalometer mode, and/or support remotes through the mic port just like the X-E1 (compatible remotes will do intervals, and when you're talking intervalometers you're likely to have other gizmos so it could be external to the camera). It's okay if the intervals are conservative to ensure data is written to the card between shots. The mic option would be the best as third party devices are very flexible (see Triggertrap).

Least Important:
  • Move the guidelines along with the framing border when the shutter is half depressed in the hybrid viewfinder. This allows to check for composition with parallax correction.
  • Allow RAW+JPEG in more bracketing modes.
 
This is always fun. Here's my go (in addition to what you've added - very thorough btw):

  1. Have focus peak highlights in AF-S and AF-C
  2. Have more custom profiles - why do we only get 3 when the X-E1 gets 6?
  3. Have AF-C operate under the same logic as a DSLR (too long to expand here)
  4. Be able to use the back button for AE-L, and half shutter press as AF-L even after I take one shot - I hate how it wants to refocus everytime
 
I really wish there was an option to put a thumbnail sort of preview up in the OVF like in the bottom right corner or something so that I could see if something was wrong with the photo without doing the whole EVF switch and then back every time. I take lots of photos of my 2 year old and he moves so fast that it's helpful to keep image reviews off entirely so I can keep up with him, but something like this would help me know if I'm out of focus, super under/over exposed, etc.
 
I have a fairly short list but any one of them would be a huge deal to me in improving the X100S that much more:

1) Allow exposure compensation at the same time as Auto-ISO in M mode. This is by far my biggest disappointment with the Fuji X series.

2) Red color for focus peaking. I like peaking but white is essentially unusable for me as it disappears in the highlights

3) One-touch ND filter on/off w/out taking up the Fn button (reassign directional button maybe?)

4) Q menu customization: some of the Q-menu stuff I never change, while other items I do change are only accessible multiple layers deep in the menus

5) AF mode that enables moving of AF points without pressing UP/AF button first instead of triggering hotkeys. I don't see this one happening, but it'd be awesome if I could shoot with a moveable focus point without needing to press AF first. If the Q menu was customizable I don't think I'd miss the direction pad function buttons much.

6) This isn't an "easy" one probably, but AF-C seems rather useless for still photos without being able to move the focus point out of the center of the frame. Adding moveable focus points to AF-C mode would make it worth using for me.
 
redisred said:
I really wish there was an option to put a thumbnail sort of preview up in the OVF like in the bottom right corner or something so that I could see if something was wrong with the photo without doing the whole EVF switch and then back every time. I take lots of photos of my 2 year old and he moves so fast that it's helpful to keep image reviews off entirely so I can keep up with him, but something like this would help me know if I'm out of focus, super under/over exposed, etc.
Click to expand...

You can turn on the histogram overlay as well as use the meter to determine whether or not you can expect your photos to be over/underexposed. The histogram works well in the auto and priority modes, just not in full manual. The meter works in all of them.
 
Armanius said:
Face detection!!! Please Fuji!!!
Click to expand...

What's frustrating is that the camera will tell you a face was detected during review but not during exposure making. I am guessing you want it to focus on said face? It's funny that they do that in cameras that are hundred of $ less (and those also will have GPS or Wi-Fi; I'd pick GPS from those two myself after having tried to match a phone GPS track with pictures!).

So they know how to do it... And so does their competition (the OM-D will do that and let you decide which eye to focus on!). Maybe it's not there because of (lack of) processing power?
 
Frenchman said:
What's frustrating is that the camera will tell you a face was detected during review but not during exposure making. I am guessing you want it to focus on said face? It's funny that they do that in cameras that are hundred of $ less (and those also will have GPS or Wi-Fi; I'd pick GPS from those two myself after having tried to match a phone GPS track with pictures!).

So they know how to do it... And so does their competition (the OM-D will do that and let you decide which eye to focus on!). Maybe it's not there because of (lack of) processing power?
Click to expand...

I strongly suspect it's processing power as at least part of the reason. Detecting a face in real time as the input is constantly changing is a *lot* more intensive than doing it on a review of a single still image so I'm sure that limited processing cycles are a big factor.

Granted, other cameras with less powerful processors do it, but it's a balancing act of how many cycles get used for that, for AF calculations, reading from sensor and generating RAW/JPG etc. not to mention anything added to the live view like peaking, level indicators, metering yadda yadda. All that stuff costs hardware cycles somewhere and naturally anything real-time is at a premium.
 
jloden said:
All that stuff costs hardware cycles somewhere and naturally anything real-time is at a premium.
Click to expand...

Yes, everything needs to add up to something within what the processor can do. It's tough when you see that for $100 less Olympus can make a camera (the OM-D) with an apparent huge reserve of processing power, doing all of those expensive things like blown colors highlighting, face detection, etc. and never feeling like it's being stretched (and we're not even mentioning weatherproofing, something which I think is going to eventually come to all such cameras). Especially given how the Fuji consumes batteries :) This being said I did have an OM-D for a bit and I infinitely prefer the feel and shooting pace of the Fuji... It would just be nice to have comparable processor power.
 
Frenchman said:
Yes, everything needs to add up to something within what the processor can do. It's tough when you see that for $100 less Olympus can make a camera (the OM-D) with an apparent huge reserve of processing power, doing all of those expensive things like blown colors highlighting, face detection, etc. and never feeling like it's being stretched (and we're not even mentioning weatherproofing, something which I think is going to eventually come to all such cameras). Especially given how the Fuji consumes batteries :) This being said I did have an OM-D for a bit and I infinitely prefer the feel and shooting pace of the Fuji... It would just be nice to have comparable processor power.
Click to expand...

On the flip side, when I tried the "fauxus peaking" on the OM-D you could definitely see it hitting it's limits of processing power. That was the only time I noticed any lag mind you, but it just goes to show how intensive some of this stuff can be!
 
Fuji Guys said that it's a decision based on the target photographer for Fuji's "advanced" cameras. Billy said he already asked Tokyo to implement face detection, but he doesn't anticipate them doing so.

Time lapse would be cool. Sony NEX has a pretty cool time lapse feature.
 
a few, very simple things:

- i like how on my alpha and nex, you can return to your last settings after powering off and back on.

- give us something other than white for focus peaking.

- allow AF-C to work on half-press of the shutter button. (a focus point would help see what it's focusing on.)

- allow 1:1 in just RAW. not just jpeg or raw+jpeg.


maybe:

- allow WB button to be customized

and/or

- at least allow bottom row of Q-menu to be customizeable. (i hate digging for flash compensation.)


(Sent from my EVO via Tapatalk)
 

Similar threads

L
Fuji Firmware update wish list
Replies
7
Views
2K
romi.gilles
romi.gilles
TraamisVOS
    • Like
Sony Sony A7/A7r firmware update wish list.
Replies
18
Views
7K
Chrisnmn
Chrisnmn
Herman
Next gear wish list
2
Replies
34
Views
3K
flash
F
Back
Top